Winterhawks netminder Gauthier sets franchise shutout minutes mark
Portland Winterhawks netminder Taylor Gauthier set a franchise record Wednesday in his Club’s shutout victory over the Spokane Chiefs.
Gauthier, the reigning WHL Goaltender of the Month, turned aside 19 shots to improve his shutout minutes streak to 232 minutes and 19 seconds dating back to January 28, breaking a franchise mark set during the 2013-14 WHL season by Brendan Burke.
You just witnessed history, Hawks fans ✨
Taylor Gauthier now holds the longest shutout streak in Club history!
Congrats, @tgoats_35! pic.twitter.com/9NzWdPbBRx
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) February 10, 2022
“[My teammates] are making it easy back there. I gotta make, like, two or three saves a game that are big, but they’re keeping everything to the outside,” Gauthier said following Wednesday’s win.
“Shutouts, as much as they go on the goalie’s record, I think they’re just as much a team accomplishment as well.”
Since being acquired by Portland via trade in December, the product of Calgary, Alta. holds a 9-0-0-0 record to go along with a 1.33 goals-against average, .954 save percentage and three shutouts.
Gauthier’s .934 save percentage over 23 appearances with the Winterhawks and Prince George Cougars this season is tops in the WHL.
The WHL record shutout streak was set during the 1967-68 campaign, when Chris Worthy of the Flin Flon Bombers went 265 minutes and 13 seconds without surrendering a goal from December 23, 1967 through January 13, 1968.
Gauthier and his Portland teammates are next in action Friday when they open a three-game road series at Spokane.